Well-drilling machine.



No. 835,368. PATENTED NOV. 6, 190m P. B. SIMPKINS.

WELL DRILLING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED M114. 1906.

- 4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

No. 835,368. 7 PATENTED NOV. 6,1906.-

' F. B. SIMPKINS.

WELL DRILLING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED P111314, 1906.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

1045 NURRIS FETERs 4-0., WASHINGTCII, u. c

No. 835,368. PATENTED NOV. 6, 1906. F. E. SIMPKINS.

WELL DRILLING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB.14, 1906 4 SHEETS-SHEET 8.

PATENTED N0Vf6, 1906.

F. E. SIM-PKINS. WELL DRILLING MAGHINE.

APPLICATION -FILED FEB. 14. 1906.

4 sHnETs sHBE-r 4.

1m NORRIS PETERS rm, WASHINGTON, n c

UNITED STASES PATENT OFFICE.

WELL-DRILLING ,MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 6, 1906.

Application filed February 14, 1906. Serial No. 300,952.

To on whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK E. SIMPKINS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Allegheny, in the county of Allegheny and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inlVell-Drilling Machines, of which the following is a specification,reference beinghad therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to well-drilling apparatus; and the primaryobject is to provide mechanism of improved construction for sotransmitting the power that the cable is moved more rapidly during thedownstroke of the drilling-tools than during the upstroke,

A further object is to provide for varying the speed or throw of theactuating mechanism without changing the speed of the actuatingcrank-shaft.

A further object is to provide variablespeed mechanism adapted for beamdrilling and spudding interchangeably.

The invention further relates to improved means for holdin the cabledrawn backward coincident with the beam-axis and for drawing the samebackward from its normal positlOllll when hanging suspended from thecrownpu ey.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portionof well-drilling apparatus embodying the invention, the same beingarranged for beam-drilling. 2 is a front end view of a portion of thesame, showing the beam in section on line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is adetail view illustrating the movement of the power-transmitting mechanism, and Fig. 4 is a similar view of the same mechanism arranged tooperate in a slightly different manner. Fig. 5 is a view similar to toFig. 1, illustrating the mechanism connected for spudding. Fig. 6 is abroken side elevation of the front portion of the apparatus. Fig.7 is adetail view of the sheavecarrier. Fig. 8 is a detail view of thepowertransmitting, arm, and Figs. 9 and 10 are similar views of thelocking device for the adjustable arm-support.

Referring to the drawings, 2 designates the machine-frame, 3 thesamson-post, and 4 the walking-beam.

5 indicates the band-wheel, carried by one end of shaft 6, the oppositeend of the shaft having the usual crank 7. Mounted in the.

for power-transmitting arm 10, the latter bep in secured to wrist 7 ofcrank 7 and mov ab e positively with the said crank. Arm 10 is hereshown provided on one side with the elongated offset plate or keeper 11,which forms longitudinal slot or passage-way 11 for confining wrist 9 ofcrank 9.

In the adaptation shown in Figs. 1, 3, and

5 the rear end of arm 10 is pivotally connect ed to the lower end ofbeam-pitman 12 wrist point intoo sudden strains u on the mechanism andavoids injury to the rilling-cable.

The arrangement may be such that crank 9 oscillates with arm 10, atwhich time crankwrist 9 is held fixed in slot or passage-way 11, orcrank 9 may be held fixed and arm 10 caused to move backward and forwardover wrist 9". Either arrangement affords the desired power-transmittingmotion for arm 10.

In the adaptation shown in Figs. 1 and 3 crank 9 is free to oscillate,wrist .9 being clamped against arm 10 by slot-forming keeper 11. Themovement of the parts when thus arranged is clearly indicated by thefull and dotted line positions shown in Fig.3.

In Fig. 4 crank 9 is shown in fixed position with arm 10 free to movelongitudinally on wrist 9, spacing-strips 13 being inserted between thearm and keeper for preventing the latter from binding and holding saidwrist. For locking crank 9 the base thereof is provided' with annularshoulder 14, which is adapted to beengaged by friction-yoke 15, securedto frame 2 by bolt 15*, and when this yoke is tightened up by means ofsaid bolt shoulder 14 is clamped between it and the bearing of shaft 8,and thus the shaft and crank are prevented from turning.

In both adaptations the stroke of arm 10 maybe varied for the purpose ofvarying the .speed of pitman 12, causing the up and down strokes of thelatterv to be .e ither faster or slower, as may be desired. ,TI osecurethe faster strokes in the. arrang'gernent of 1 IIO , carrying crank 18,and the wrist of this crank is connected by pitman 19 with arm 10. Inthis adaptation, as in the beam-drilling operations above described, armso operates as to permit the drilling-cable to drop suddenly, itsmovement being faster than when rising and carrying the weight of thetools. Also in this adaptation crank 9 may be held immovable, or it maybe free to oscillate with arm 10, as above described. Also the speed maybe varied for affording pitman 19 either a faster or slower motion byvarying the position of wrist 9 when fixed in keeper 11 withcrank 9loose and when the wrist is loose by varying the fixed position of crank9. The offset plate or keeper 11 is preferably secured to arm 10 bybolts 10 and may be positioned at either edge thereof, so that the armwill always exert its pressure directly on wrist 9 and not through themedium of the keeper. Thus for the beam-drilling operation keeper 11 issecured to the edge opposite that to which wrist 7 is connected, whilein the spudding arrangement said Wrist connection and keeper are on thesame edge of the arm. To make the change, it is only necessary to removebolts 10 and reverse the position of the keeper.

, For cushioning pitman 12 at the beginning of its downstroke, at whichtime the weight of the tools is thrown upon the walkingbea'm, pitman 12is connected to plate 20, pivoted to play vertically on the upper edgeof the beam and held normally raised by spring 21, the pitman being thusafforded slight downward movement, which is re sisted by said spring atthe beginning of the downstroke. For the 'spudding operation pitman 19is similarly cushioned by spring 22 in the outer end of the pitman-slot19, in which slot wrist 18 of crank 18 is in slight longitudinal play.

The improve machine is designed to operatewithout the usual temper-screwand clamp mechanism, the drilling-cable C being paid out as neededdirectly from spool 23. In order to impart the motion of the beam to thecable, the latter is caused to pass around a sheave 24, the axis ofwhich is preferably coincident with the beam-axis, and then outward overa sheave 25, carried by the outer end of the beam. However, as the beamis inactive during the spudding operation the cable should depend fromthe crown-pulley 26, supported by mast 27, directly into the well. Inorder to effect the change necessary for the two operations, sheave 24is mounted in buggy 28, provided with rollers 28, which travel on thetrack-forming guyline 29, the latter extending from the upper end ofmast 27 downwardly and backwardly through the longitudinal recess 4 ofthe beam, its lower end being anchored to frame 2. Line 30, secured tothe buggy, operates to draw the same downwardly on track 29, the linebeing operated by suitable winding device 31, positioned on frame 2.When the mechanism is in the position indicated in Fig. 6, thedrilling-cable depends directly into the well, sheave 24 at such timebeing raised and closely adjacent crown-pulley 26. For beam-drillingbuggy 28 is drawn downward and through beam-recess 4 to the positionshown in Fig. 1, with the axis of sheave 24 coincident with thebeam-axis, the lowering of the buggy operating to deflect cable 0backwardly, as will be understood. To make the change for the spuddingoperation, it is only necessary to release line 30, when the pull of thedrilling-cable will cause the buggy to move upward on track 29 to theposition shown in Fig. 6, in which it is held by the resistance of thecable to lateral deflection.

To provide the necessary space for the sheave 24 at the beam-axis, theupper end of the Samson-post is recessed, as shown in Fig. 2, and may beprovided with the U-shaped bearing member 32 within said recess, havingthe outwardly extending bearing forming extremities 32.

While the variable power transmitting mechanism and the mechanism justdescribed for manipulating the drilling-cable are preferably embodied inthe same machine, it will be understood that either may be used alonewithout departing from the invention.

I claim 1. The combination of a shaft having a crank, an arm, a supportadapted to afford the arm a combined reciprocating and oscillatingmovement, a pivotal connection between the arm and crank, andcable-actuating means connected to the arm.

2. The combination of a shaft having a crank, an arm, a support adaptedto afford the arm a combined reciprocating and oscillating movement, apivotal connection between the arm and crank, and cable-actuating meansconnected to the arm.

3. The combination of a shaft having a crank, an arm, an arm-supportadjustable with relation to the shaft and adapted to afford the arm acombined reciprocating and oscillating movement, a pivotal connectionbetween the arm and crank, and cable-actuating means connected to thearm.

4. The combination of a shaft having a crank, an arm, an arm-supportadapted to afford the arm a combined reciprocating and oscillatingmovement, means for positioning the support at diflerent distances fromthe crank-shaft for the purpose of varying the oscillations of the arm,a pivotal connection between the arm and crank, and cable-actuatingmeans connected to the arm.

5. The combination of a shaft having a crank, an arm having alongitudinal passageway, an arm-support adjustable in the passage-way, apivotal connection between the arm and said crank, and cable-actuatingmeans connected to the arm.

6. The combination of a walking-beam, a beam-axis, a cable-guide at theouter end of the beam, a crownpulley, a crownpulley support, adrilling-cable, a cable-engaging sheave movable beneath thecrown-pulley, and means for positioning said sheave at the beam-axis.

7. The combination of a walking-beam, a cable-guide at the outer end ofthe beam, a crown-pulley, a crown-pulley support, a trackway extendingfrom said support downwardly past the beam, a drilling-cable, acable-engaging sheave and a sheave-carrier movable on the trackway.

8. The combination of a walking-beam, a

beam-axis, a cable-guide at its outer end, a crownpulley, a crownpulleysupport, a backwardly-inclined trackway extending downwardly from thesupport past the walking-beam, a cable-engaging sheave, a sheavecarriermovable on the trackway, and means for drawing downward the carrier forthe urpose of causing the sheave to deflect the rilling-cable inwardlyand for holding the sheave coincident with the beam-axis.

9. The combination of a walking-beam having a vertical recess, abeam-axis, a cableguide at the outer end of the beam, a crownpulley, acrown-pulley support, a backwardlyinclined trackway extending downwardlyfrom said support and through the beam-recess, a drilling-cable, acable-engaging sheave, a sheave carrier movable on the trackway, andmeans for-moving the carrier downward for the purpose of positioningsaid sheave at the beam-axis.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK E. SIMPKINS.

